Learn

You’re having a party, people have said they are coming, now you have to find them a seat. Sounds simple, but this can be a tad stressful. Remember you can’t really do this until you have the RSVP list. Otherwise you are just doing work twice. Also, you can’t usually delegate this task. You invited everyone, so you probably have some opinions & insider info on who is who.

Round Tables are your best friends:

Tables that are round are a lot more forgiving in adding or taking away a person or two. If you have a bunch of people invited to your event that are solo, consider that you may want to use round tables, because last minute moving around is way, way easier.

Don’t Over Think & Use Help:

If the table isn’t the perfect table ever constructed, it’s fine. It’s a pretty small commitment to sit with people you may not be best friends with for less than 2 hours. Everyone is coming because they love you, so don’t sweat it. Also, if a close friend or loved one wants to help, let them. They may have a seating suggestion you didn’t think of.

Embrace the past & utilize the future:

I LOVE technology, even when it doesn’t love me back. Having this information digitally is the way to go. It helps you stay organized and makes your vendors love you even more… (think person making place cards / person setting table, person renting table, etc). However, sometimes you need to start this process old school. If it is easier for you to use stickies and note cards to lay out the tables, awesome. This is a great way to move people around. I like using the small page markers with names on them, because you can usually overlay them on the floor plan you have been given from the venue, or make one yourself. You can sticky people around and easily move people visually from 1 table to another.

After going it old school, organize this in a list. Simple spreadsheets seem to work best. Make sure you label it with the date that you created it, so that if there are changes, you are able to keep track of when they happened. If you want to combine both processes into one- there are a ton of options on the Internet for you to use. We like the social tables applications. I suggest using Google docs for your guest list, so this is a nice way to organize the table assignments and share it easily with others as you are gathering information. Try to keep all the info in 1 place digitally so the latest copy is clear to you and everyone else. And label everything like you won’t remember what you were thinking. With a lot of details to keep track of, make it easy!

Bonus: I know it’s a pain in the butt to assign tables to all these people, but it will make seating a breeze the day of the event. Open seating is more stressful on your guests and your vendors. You usually need to set for more people & some of your awesome friends may end up without a spot or be a table by their lonesome. No fun at all! Unless you have a tiny (under 30) wedding, make it easy on everyone and assign them a table.